The other media – print and television (radio is still deeply controlled) is certainly covering this case, but in comparision to the churn on the internet, is handling the report with very sensitive kid gloves. Which is not strange – after all, chances are, that the now disgraced Special Judge Shri T. Pattabhi Ramarao or his kith and kin may (a) never have to return the money and (b) may just return as figures of eminence and power again.

The conventional media, too, has to cover itself against any eventualities. That’s a simple fact of life.

This is why – till a few years ago, to even write an article on corruption in the judiciary was equivalent to inviting the wrath and much more of the Honourable courts, on the writer. And the publication. The advent of the internet changed some of those fundamentals – and one started reading here and there about how the judiciary was also, alas, from the same gene pool that the rest of us were and are from.

But here we have something which is so flagrantly violative of all reasonable norms – that it simply takes one’s breath away. From every aspect – the case itself involving illegal mining and much more running into billions of dollars worth of loot and scoot, the involvement of the Central Bureau of Investigation which is one organisation many of us still hope to have faith in, the presence of the judiciary which for many of us is the last hope left in this morass that we Indians find ourselves in, and the sheer numbers, 10 crores in cash which would require to the best of my knowledge about 13 or 14 huge sized suitcases which in turn would need to be carried by two people each.

And much more.

All this, to secure bail for a person who is presumably already living in the lap of luxury, even though behind bars?

To understand this better, one has to understand the depth of beneficiaries of corruption better, and move away from the conventional wisdom that corruption only flows upwards. The typical excuse given for every transaction of corruption is that. “oh, we have to send money up” also.

That’s not really true. The beneficiaries of corruption are, as we all know now, in all directions and in all dimensions. After all, the cessation of illegal mining, for example, has had a major downstream effect, too – and there would be no dearth of people and entities of all sorts very keen to see it resume.

And for all of them, it would then be very important to see that some of the fulcrums, in this case the Reddy brothers, were out and free to try and resume business as usual again. Which would include, if required, bribing the judiciary.

That is too complex a subject, and the intention of this blog entry is not to point fingers, but on the other hand, to seek justice, and redeem faith in institutions which many of us would wish to continue to believe in. After all, many of us do know many good people in the judiciary, young and old, too.

This blog entry today is thus by way of an absolutely humble appeal to the newly appointed Justice of the Supreme Court, Shri Madan Bhimrao Lokur, and his fellow Justices, Honourable all, to please try and understand the sheer shock and dismay that many of us have felt on reading about this episode. And to please take serious and strict steps to do something to clean things up in their own backyards.

In the sunsets of our lives, we are owed this for the dreams we shared at sunrise, decades ago. We plead thus, with folded hands, and only because we can. And should.

And on behalf of the millions who are denied even that basic right – of begging for Justice.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Author

Veeresh Malik, is a fauji brat brought up all over the country. He escaped in 1973 to work as a seafarer globally, then came ashore in 1982 to a variety of stints in India and abroad, some successful, many not. In the last decade as the India head of a small Silicon Valley tech company, he now wants to spend the rest of his life doing not much more than offering unasked for advice and opinions. He has been married (to the same person) for the last 34 years, has two children, one son-in-law and is still looking for the perfect hair-style. He lives in Delhi and does not intend to learn how to set an alarm clock. Also publishing online at Amazon with 9 books to his name.

Veeresh Malik, is a fauji brat brought up all over the country. He escaped in 1973 to work as a seafarer globally, then came ashore in 1982 to a vari. . .